CTET Selection Process 2026: Check Detailed Exam Procedure Here
Central Teacher Eligibility Test 2026 ( CTET )
CTET Selection Process 2026: The Central Teacher Eligibility Test is an eligibility exam that determines whether the candidate is eligible to apply for teacher recruitment drives for Classes 1 to 8 in Central schools such as KVS, NVS, etc. The authority conducts the CTET exam every year based on the guidelines framed by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The CBSE follows a fixed CTET 2026 selection process every year.
The CTET exam for the 21st Edition was conducted on February 7 & 8, 2026.
Also Read: Last 5 Years Question Papers of CTET: Download Free PDFs
- CTET Selection Process 2026
- Stages of CTET Selection Process 2026
- CTET Selection Process 2026 Highlights
- CTET Exam Pattern 2026
- CTET Selection Process 2026 FAQs
CTET Selection Process 2026
The CTET exam is qualifying in nature. Candidates are declared pass in the exam based on their CTET scores. As per CTET qualification 2026 criteria, General-category candidates must score 60 per cent or more marks in the examination to qualify for the award of the CTET eligibility certificate. On the other hand, reserved category candidates need to obtain 55 per cent or more marks in the examination.
As per the CTET selection process, qualifying the exam would not imply the recruitment of candidates in any government or private school, as it is only one of the eligible criteria for the teacher appointment process. Candidates who qualify the CTET exam can apply for recruitment in central government schools (KVS, NVS, Central Tibetan Schools, etc.) and schools under the administrative control of Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and NCT of Delhi.
Candidates can also apply for teacher recruitment in private schools accepting the CTET scores 2026.
Also Read: CTET Admit Card
Commonly asked questions
Candidates need to solve the questions from both the languages in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. There are a 30 multiple choice questions of 1 mark each in the language sections.
Stages of CTET Selection Process 2026
The CTET Selection Process comprises the submitting of the application form, correction in the application form, release of the admit card, then answer key, result and finally scorecard or certificate. Check the CTET selection or exam process 2026 below.
CTET form Submission
Firstly, candidates need to fill out the CTET application form . The application fee is
| Category |
Fee for One Paper (in INR) |
Fee for Two Papers (in INR) |
|---|---|---|
| General/ OBC |
1,000 |
1,200 |
| SC/ ST/ Differently Abled Person |
500 |
600 |
CTET admit card
The CBSE issues admit card to candidates who successfully submit their forms and pay the exam fee. Candidates can download the CTET admit card 2026 by using application number and password/date of birth.
CTET exam
Candidates need to appear for the CTET exam as per the details mentioned in the admit card. CTET exam is held for two papers – Papers 1 and 2. CTET Paper 1 is conducted for candidates who plan to be teachers from Classes 1 to 5. CTET Paper 2 is held for candidates who plan to be teachers from Classes 6 to 8. Candidates planning to teach Classes 1 to 8 need to give both papers.
Also Read:
CTET answer key
CBSE releases answer keys in two phases – provisional and final. CTET answer key is an important document as it gives candidates a clear idea of the score that they will secure in the exam.
CTET result
CTET result is declared at ctet.nic.in. Candidates can check their results by using their roll number for the exam. General category candidates who score 60 per cent or above marks are declared CTET qualified and reserved category candidates need to obtain 55 per cent marks.
Also Read: CTET Exam Timing 2026: Shift Timings & Reporting Time
CTET marksheet & certificate
CTET marksheet is issued to all candidates who appear for the exam. On the other hand, the CTET certificate is issued to only qualifying candidates in digital format in their DigiLocker account. Candidates can download their marksheet and eligibility certificate by logging into their DigiLocker accounts using credentials shared by CBSE on their registered mobile number. The CTET certificate is now valid for a lifetime.
Also Read: CTET Certificate & Marksheet: How to Download on DigiLocker App
Commonly asked questions
The CTET qualifying marks are different for different categories. General category candidates need to obtain a minimum of 60 per cent or above marks in the CTET 2025 exam in order to be considered as a CTET pass. The CTET passing marks for OBC/SC/ST category candidates are 55 per cent. Candidates scoring more than or equal to the qualifying marks are considered CTET qualified. Only those candidates are awarded the CTET Certificate those who secure the minimum qualifying marks. However, a higher CTET score is advantageous in the further teacher recruitment process.
There is no limit on the number of attempts in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test, as per the exam notification.
CTET Selection Process 2026 Highlights
Check out some of the major highlights of the CTET 2026 selection process below:
- Candidates are selected based on their performance in the exam.
- Candidates must score 60 per cent or more marks CTET 2026 exam.
- Candidates must also meet the CTET eligibility criteria 2026 prescribed by CBSE.
- Qualifying CTET does not guarantee jobs to candidates. They have to apply for recruitment at different schools based on the available vacancies.
- Candidates have to go through the complete recruitment process of the school in which they are applying for job after qualifying the CTET exam.
- Candidates can show the respective school their CTET certificate issued to them after qualifying the exam.
- CTET eligibility certificate is valid for lifetime from the date of declaration of result.
- Candidates who do not qualify the CTET exam can appear for it again as many times as they want.
Also Read: CTET Exam Preparation
Commonly asked questions
Candidates need to choose different language for CTET Language I and Language II sections. The CBSE provides a list of 20 languages from which the candidates can choose the language.
As per the analysis, it has been considered that the Mathematics section mainly for the candidates who belongs to non-math background and also the Maths and Science (Paper 2) sections is generally considered the difficult to prepare. Also, for several candidates, mainly for those who are from non-English medium is also find difficult mainly English grammar and vocabulary part, etc.
CTET Exam Pattern 2026
The CTET exam pattern consists of the format, questions, total marks, marking schemes, etc. 150 Objective Type Questions will be asked in each paper I and II. One mark is awarded for the correct answer and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. In an exam Paper 1 has five sections whereas Paper 2 has four section. Candidates can read below in detail about the CTET exam pattern by clicking the link.
Also Read: CTET Exam Pattern
Commonly asked questions
The CTET question paper contains multiple choice questions- MCQs. There are 150 questions in the exam. The paper carries 150 marks. Candidates need to mark the answers on the OMR Sheet.
The most important topics that candidates need to focus on Child Development and pedagogy including child psychology, pedagogical application, theories like Piaget's, Vygotsky's, Multiple Intelligences Theory, Learning disabilities and how to help, Motivation. In Language 1 Writing skills development, Using stories and poems in teaching, How to teach language to children, Reading two passages and answering questions, Teaching methods for language learning, etc. In Language 2 Reading comprehension, Grammar and vocabulary, Cultural aspects of language, Translation skills, Literature appreciation, etc. In Mathematics Numbers and number systems, Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, Fractions and decimals, Geometry and shapes, Measurement (length, weight, time, money), Data handling and simple graphs, etc.
CTET Selection Process 2026 FAQs
Have a look at the CTET selection process FAQs:
Commonly asked questions
The CTET 2026 exam was conducted on February 7 and 8. The Board released the time table for the exam as given below:
Events | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
Reporting Time | 7:30 AM | 12:30 PM |
Checking of Admit Cards | 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM | 2:00 PM to 2:15 PM |
Checking of Computer | 9:15 AM | 2:15 PM |
Last Entry in the Examination Centre | 9:30 AM | 2:30 PM |
Test Commences | 9:30 AM | 2:30 PM |
Test Concludes | 12:00 Noon | 5:00 PM |
Candidates need to choose different language for CTET Language I and Language II sections. The CBSE provides a list of 20 languages from which the candidates can choose the language.
CTET exam is of 2 hours 30 minutes duration for each paper. The CTET exam is conducted in two shifts. The CTET Shift 1 starts from 9:30 am to 12 noon and Shift 2 is from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm.
There is no limit on the number of attempts in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test, as per the exam notification.
Candidates need to solve the questions from both the languages in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. There are a 30 multiple choice questions of 1 mark each in the language sections.
The CTET exam process contains the stages shared below-
- Release of notification
- Submission of application form
- CTET admit card
- Conduct of the exam in offline mode
- Provisional answer key
- Declaration of result
- Final answer key
- CTET certificate for qualified candidates
The CTET exam is conducted in two shifts for Paper 1 and Paper 2. The shift 1 is held from 9:30 am to 12 noon and Shift 2 from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Candidates get to know the allotted CTET shift timing through their admit cards.
No, there is no upper age limit to take the CTET exam. Candidates above 18 years of age can apply for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. CTET stands for Central Teacher Eligibility Test. It is a national-level eligibility exam conducted by the CBSE. Candidates should satisfy their eligibility before applying for the exam.
CTET Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 days ago
The most important topics for the CTET exam in Environmental studies are family and friends, food, shelter, water, travel, environmental studies and its integration with other subjects, methods of teaching EVS, scope and importance of EVS in primary education, evaluation and assessment techniques in
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
It has been said that for the CTET exam preparation around three to four months is required with dedicated study and practice of question papers. It also depends upon the candidate to candidate and their conceptual clarity of the topics.
C
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, the CTET eligibility can be changed based on the NCTE regulations. The CBSE opened the online application form correction window for the CTET Feb 2026 examination on December 23, 2025. The CTET form correction 2026 link allows candidates to change the already submitted applications, in case of
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The CTET exam generally held twice a year. The February session exam was conducted on February 7 and 8, 2026 at several centres across the country. The another session may be conducted later this year.
I
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The CTET exam is a eligibility test and does not have a centralized counselling process.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
According to the NCTE notification, candidates require 60% or more to pass the CTET examination. The minimum marks required by a candidate being a General category to qualify the CTET exam is 90 out of 150 and for SC, ST, OBC and PwD is 82 out of 150.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
Candidates can visit the official website at ctet.nic.in for the syllabus of the CTET. The entire syllabus is provided and candidates can download it for every topic together. The syllabus PDF is also provided on our Shiksha page.
K
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, it is possible for a candidate to clear CTET exam in three months. All is required a dedicated and disciplined approach. Clear understanding of the syllabus and pattern of an exam. Frequent revision, practice and strategize the preparation.
G
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
Candidates need to visit the official website to download the PDF of the CTET Syllabus at ctet.nic.in and check the information bulletin. The CTET syllabus is available in English as well as Hindi medium that covers both Paper 1 and 2 topics in detail. The CTET syllabus PDF is also available on our
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
To clear the CTET exam, candidates in General Category required to score at least 60% that is 90 out of 150 marks and candidates belonging to the SC, ST, OBC, or PwD categories required to score at least 55% marks that is 82 out of 150. It is to be noted that this criteria applies to both Paper 1 an
J
Contributor-Level 6
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What are the most important topics for CTET exam in Environmental Studies?